Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-04-07
RSDAY.
NUMBER 80.

" utatu.
That same fall several families ha6
moved to the valley from near Freder
icktown. One family settled where
Judge Hancock lives. and it was the
custom when new corners moved
in, to make house-raising first and s
rail-mauling afterward, and. after Q
while, a log-rolling. Thatsame spring
one of these families, consisting of 8
mother, four or five big boys, and
about as many girls, made a rail l.maul.
ing and invited all the young folks OF
the surrounding country to be there
on the next Thursday, aud to bring an
AK and wedge, the girls to bring nee
dies and thimble to quilt. My partner
and / were invited and requested t.
bring the young ladies from our settle
ment, near the old mill. There were
living in the settlement three families
that had girls: one at the first house
three at the second, and two at the
third. On Monday morning as we
went back to the mill-we always
went home Saturday uight to spend
Sunday there-we went to see the girls
and invited them to go with us Thurs
day; to be ready at eight o'clock in the
morning. so as to be on time. They
all said they would be ready and wait
ing for us. We were to get horses at
the neigh bors' who had no girls, 80 as
to lose no time, it being ten or twelve
miles that we would have to ride. So
Thursday morning I, like the good old
housekeeper that was, had breakfast
before daylight and the work all done
before sunrise. The fire made safe.
then we left, expecting when we reach
ed the first house to find the girls all
ready, and our horses all saddled and
briiled, ready to be mounted and off.
But we saw no horses. "Wen I won
der what's up now?" So we walked
in and found the girls sitting before
the fire sewing as if there was no such
thing as rail-mauling or a quilting.
"Why, girls, what does this mean that
you are not ready?" We amt
going Not going? What's the
reason you are not going?" 1--WE went
going to wear, and they said they
didn't know; they hadn't anything fit
to wear up there with those Arcadia
girls, so we amt going" "Well, you
are --- if that's the way you
serve a fellow. We will look some
where else after this" and we left on
foot at nine o'clock to walk ten or
twelve miles, over the meanest road
you ever saw. But we did't let the
grass grow under our feet. When We
came in sight of the house we saw the
men and boys going to the house to
dinner. AS we reached the house, a
perfect storm of questions met US. as,
Where are the glrls?" "What made
you 50 late?" etc.
Then they said, you can't haye any
Inner until you split your hundred
rails apiece. We did not say word
but took up each an ak, and wedge
and two gluts apiece "a glut is a large
wooden wedge used to open the log
after the iron wedges are driven in)
and started for woods, which were not
ar away. The men followed to see us
work. The first log we came to was a
arge white cak. 1 stuck my wedge in
Inu my partner struck it with his maui,
hen we let down on it, first one then
he other just as fast as we could strike
we were hungry. When the wedge
vas driven home, caught up glut
nd he hit it, SO in half the time it
axes me to write this, we had that log
plit open and the halves on their backs; !
We each took half and you just ought |
o have seen US let down on that piece |
f wood; in few minutes we each had |
rails out of our halves. We
licked up our tools and started for an
thef log, but the whole crowd said,
No, you shan't split anot ier rail; you
ave showed your spunk, and now
ome to dinner" AS the women had
ONE out and were calling US to dinner
efore it was cold, SO we went to the
ouse, for we well knew the women
pould not like it il We didn't. IF you
rant to make a woman mad call her
aby snub-nosed or be late to dinner.
you may guess we were ready for our
art of the dinner, for we had eaten
othing since daylight. Oh! the din
er; such an array of good things. All
inds of meats. vegetables and fruits,
ooked in all kinds of ways, all kinds
read and pastries. tell you, it was
rell worth the trouble we had taken,
nings and the fair hands that passed
ne food around and urged us to eat
nd eat until we felt that to eat any
lore would be a punishment; and as
ach time the table was cleared and
eplenished it seemed that their stores
'ere inexhaustible. After all were
ell fed came the games out of doors. /.
le lively chats, etc., until the things
ere put away, the house cleared of all
then the old-fashioned
lay of marching around and singing
ntil all are gathered in. What jolly
mes, and how often we heard some
ne say, .Oh, I wish the other girls
al come; how foolish they weren'
es, how foolish great many of US
e: afraid to be ourselves, afraid to do
ght because some one thinks us odd,